Life

Saha was the son of William and Henrikka Saha, a Finnish-American couple. After serving in the Merchant Marine during World War II, he enrolled in and graduated from Columbia University. Saha worked as a research chemist and is credited with the patent for the first fire resistant ironing board cover, and for various paints and pigments used on the exteriors of the first space satellites. At one time he was a resident of Minnesota; in his later years Saha resided in Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York. While living in New York City, he was an early associate of the beatniks. Saha was a long-standing member of Mensa. He died of cancer.[1]

Career in speculative fiction

Later an editor at Wollheim's publishing house DAW Books,[1] Saha co-edited numerous "best of the year" science fiction anthologies with Wollheim, and was Wollheim's choice as successor to Lin Carter as editor of a similar line of fantasy anthologies. Saha's compilations were routinely entered in the Locus Poll Award for Best Anthology; The 1978 Annual World's Best SF he co-edited with Wollheim came in second for the 1979 award.

He was inducted into and received a First Fandom Hall of Fame award for 1992 for his contributions to the field of science fiction. He served as President of the New York Science Fiction Society, better known as the Lunarians, and as President of First Fandom[1] for many years until his death.

Coinage

Saha is credited with coining the term "Trekkie" in 1967 to describe fans of Star Trek.[2] He had used the term in an interview that Pete Hamill was conducting on the science fiction phenomenon for TV Guide.

The 1974 Annual World's Best SF is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha, the third volume in a series of nineteen. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in May 1974, followed by a hardcover edition issued in September of the same year by the same publisher as a selection of the Science Fiction Book Club. For the hardcover edition the original cover art of Jack Gaughan was replaced by a new cover painting by Victor Valla. The paperback edition was reissued by DAW in December 1979 under the variant title Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Three, this time with cover art by Vicente Segrelles. A British hardcover edition was published by The Elmfield Press in October 1975 under the variant title The World's Best SF Short Stories No. 1.

The book collects ten novelettes and short stories by various science fiction authors, with an introduction by Wollheim. Most of the stories were previously published in 1973 in the magazines Galaxy, Worlds of If, Vertex, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Amazing Science Fiction, and the anthologies View from Another Shore and New Writings in SF 22.

The 1975 Annual World's Best SF is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha, the fourth volume in a series of nineteen. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in May 1975, followed by a hardcover edition issued in September of the same year by the same publisher as a selection of the Science Fiction Book Club. For the hardcover edition the original cover art of Jack Gaughan was replaced by a new cover painting by Richard V. Corben. The paperback edition was reissued by DAW in December 1980 under the variant title Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Four, this time with cover art by Vicente Segrelles. A British hardcover edition was published by The Elmfield Press in November 1976 under the variant title The World's Best SF Short Stories No. 2.

The book collects ten novellas, novelettes and short stories by various science fiction authors, with an introduction by Wollheim. The stories were previously published in 1974 in the magazines

The 1979 Annual World's Best SF is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha, the eighth volume in a series of nineteen. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in May 1979. It was reissued by DAW in 1984 under the variant title Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Eight, this time with cover art by Olivero Berni.

The book collects ten novellas, novelettes and short stories by various science fiction authors, with an introduction by Wollheim. The stories were previously published in 1978 in the magazines Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and the anthologies Envisioned Worlds, Cassandra Rising, Stellar #4, and Universe 8.

The 1983 Annual World's Best SF is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha, the twelfth volume in a series of nineteen. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in May 1983, followed by a hardcover edition issued in September of the same year by the same publisher as a selection of the Science Fiction Book Club. For the hardcover edition the original cover art was replaced by a new cover painting by Richard Powers.

The book collects ten novellas, novelettes and short stories by various science fiction authors, with an introduction by Wollheim. The stories were previously published in 1982 in the magazines Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Omni, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and the anthology Perpetual Light.

The 1985 Annual World's Best SF is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha, the fourteenth volume in a series of nineteen. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in June 1985, followed by a hardcover edition issued in September of the same year by the same publisher as a selection of the Science Fiction Book Club. For the hardcover edition the original cover art by Frank Kelly Freas was replaced by a new cover painting by Richard Powers.

The book collects ten novellas, novelettes and short stories by various science fiction authors, with an introduction by Wollheim. The stories were previously published in 1984 in the magazines The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Missouri Review, and Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, and the anthologies Habitats and The Clarion Awards.

The 1986 Annual World's Best SF is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha, the fourteenth volume in a series of nineteen. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in June 1986, followed by a hardcover edition issued in August of the same year by the same publisher as a selection of the Science Fiction Book Club. For the hardcover edition the original cover art by Vincent Di Fate was replaced by a new cover painting by Ron Walotsky.

The book collects ten novellas, novelettes and short stories by various science fiction authors, with an introduction by Wollheim. The stories were previously published in 1985 in the magazines Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, Omni, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, and the anthologies The Third Omni Book of Science Fiction and Afterwar.

The Annual World's Best SF was a series of annual paperback anthologies published by DAW Books from 1972 to 1990 under the editorship of publisher Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha from 1972 to 1990. Some volumes were also issued in hardcover through the Science Fiction Book Club. It was a continuation of the earlier anthology series World's Best Science Fiction, edited by Wollheim and Terry Carr, published from 1965 to 1971 by Ace Books (Carr also issued his own separate continuation, The Best Science Fiction of the Year, from 1972 to 1987.) DAW also issued the companion series The Year's Best Horror Stories from 1971 to 1994, and The Year's Best Fantasy Stories from 1975 to 1988.

Each volume carried the year of publication in the title between the first and second recurring words. The first four volumes were subsequently reprinted under the title Wollheim's World's Best SF (also used as a variant title for the fifth through ninth volumes), distinguished from each other numerically, without the year designation. The third through seventh volumes were also reprinted in hardcover in the United Kingdom, the third and fourth as The World's Best SF Short Stories, nos. 1-2, published by The Elmfield Press, and the fifth through seventh as The World's Best SF, nos. 3-5, published by Dennis Dobson.

Each annual volume reprinted what in the opinion of the editors was the best science fiction short stories appearing in the previous year. The series also aimed to discover and nurture new talent. It featured both occasionally recurring authors and writers new to the science fiction genre.

The Best Science Fiction of the Year was a series of annual paperback anthologies edited by Terry Carr. It was published by Ballantine Books from 1972 to 1980, Pocket Books from 1981 to 1983, Baen Books in 1984, and Tor Books from 1985 to 1987. The Tor Books volumes bore the title Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction of the Year from 1985 to 1986, and Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year in 1987. Most volumes were also issued in hardcover in the United Kingdom by Gollancz, the last three under the variant title Best SF of the Year. The series was a continuation of the earlier anthology series World's Best Science Fiction, edited by Carr with Donald A. Wollheim, published from 1965 to 1971 by Ace Books. (Wollheim, with co-editor Arthur W. Saha, also issued his own separate continuation, The Annual World’s Best SF, from 1972 to 1990.)

Each annual volume reprinted what in the opinion of the editor were the best science fiction short stories appearing in the previous year. The series also aimed to discover and nurture new talent. It featured both occasionally recurring authors and writers new to the science fiction genre.

The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories was a series of annual anthologies published by DAW Books from 1975 to 1988 under the successive editorships of Lin Carter from 1975 to 1980 and Arthur W. Saha from 1981 to 1988. The series was a companion to DAW’s The Annual World’s Best SF, issued from 1972 to 1990 under the editorship of Saha with publisher Donald A. Wollheim, and The Year's Best Horror Stories, issued from 1971 to 1994, which performed a similar office for the science fiction and horror fiction genres.

Each annual volume reprinted what in the opinion of the editor was the best fantasy literature short fiction appearing in the previous year. Carter's picks tended to be idiosyncratic, concentrating on long-established authors in the field and reflecting his own particular enthusiasms. He also habitually padded out the volumes he edited with his own works, whether written singly, in collaboration, or under pseudonyms. Saha’s editorial choices more closely reflected the contemporary field and highlighted more emerging authors.

Under Carter's editorship surveys of "The Year’s Best Fantasy Books" and "The Year in Fantasy" rounded out each year’s collection, continuing the annual surveys of the year's best fantasy fiction he had formerly contributed to Castle of Frankenstein before that magazine's 1975 demise. Saha contented himself with a general introduction.

World's Best Science Fiction was a series of annual paperback anthologies published by Ace Books from 1965 to 1971 under the editorship of Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr. Some volumes were also issued in hardcover through the Science Fiction Book Club or (in the United Kingdom) by Gollancz.

Each volume included the year of publication after the title, though when the first four volumes were subsequently reprinted the year designation was replaced by a numerical one (First through Fourth Series in place of 1965 to 1971).

Each annual volume reprinted what in the opinion of the editors was the best science fiction short stories appearing in the previous year. The series also aimed to discover and nurture new talent. It featured both occasionally recurring authors and writers new to the science fiction genre.

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